Rush to judgment: Do Halls of Fame matter?

I was working on a column about the Blu-ray release of “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” scheduled to hit theaters next week.Then nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced.I switched to Plan B.

I was working on a column about the Blu-ray release of "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," scheduled to hit theaters next week.

Then nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced.

I switched to Plan B.

Rush, Deep Purple, Public Enemy and N.W.A. are first-time nominees for induction. Those groups join nominees include Heart, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Randy Newman, Donna Summer and Kraftwerk.

I hope Rush gets in. Why? So Rush fans will finally shut up about it.

I'm joking — a little.

The Rush-snub controversy has swirled for years. Rock Hall rules state that artists may not be inducted until 25 years after their first release. Therefore, Rush first became eligible in 1998.

But it took another 14 years to get even a nomination. I assume it's a shoo-in for induction, but that's almost moot, in my view.

In 2011, Dave Banks of Wired.com listed 12 reasons Rush should make the Hall.

On Thursday, Banks reiterated the power trio's influence.

"Looking at the list of bands not in the Hall of Fame, two of the biggest snubs are finally addressed in the nominations of Rush and Deep Purple. But when considering some of the bands that went in before them, what does that say about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as an institution?"

That, in a nutshell, summarizes my only gripe about halls of fame in general, whether it's sports, music or whatnot.

I'm all for performers (or athletes) earning recognition. But sometimes it seems fans (or critics, or analysts) look to Halls of Fame as a way to validate their opinions, rooting interests or artistic taste.

There's nothing wrong with passionate fans, of course. Arguing about music or sports is typically more enjoyable than discussing politics.

Don't believe me? Did you watch the presidential debate the other night? Not one discussion about pop music or football.

Maybe if people heard what Mitt or Barack thinks about Rush, it would rock the vote.

I guess I view any Hall of Fame this way: Wait long enough and almost everyone who accomplishes anything substantial will make it. Or maybe they won't.

Either way, it doesn't change whatever it is that made them good, or not good enough.

Eventually, everyone will be inducted, and we'll have to have an All-Everything Hall of Fame. Who deserves inclusion: Jimi Hendrix or "I Love Lucy"? Mickey Mantle or "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" (on Blu-ray)?

Those are debates I could embrace — until everybody gets in, at least.

Dennis Volkert isfeatures editor at the Sturgis Journal. Contact him at volkert@sturgisjournal.com.